Harsh Chouhan has resigned as the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) eight months before the completion of his term, with Congress MP Jairam Ramesh claiming on Tuesday that he paid the price for confronting the Union Environment Ministry on the issue of forests and tribal rights.
However, sources said Chouhan's resignation follows the government's annual performance appraisal.
"He had been facing health issues and could attend only two hearings. The member (Ananta Nayak) conducted the rest," an official source told PTI. According to NCST rules, the chairperson is responsible for presiding over the hearings in the commission. In the absence of the chairperson, the vice-chairperson should conduct the hearings.
A senior NCST official said, "Chouhan resigned on June 26 and we received information about the President accepting his resignation on June 27." The Congress linked Chouhan's resignation to his stance on the new Forest Conservation Rules, 2022 allegedly encroaching on tribal rights.
In September last year, Chouhan had written to the Environment Ministry seeking the suspension of the rules. He had also urged the ministry to "reinstate, strengthen, and strictly monitor" compliance with certain provisions of the 2017 Forest Conservation Rules, including obtaining consent from gram sabhas before the diversion of forest land for any project.